As I was filling up my tank the other night, my preteen daughter was surprised that it cost “$31!” when I paid at the pump. I assured her that was a bargain compared to what it cost when she used to ride in the back seat in a child restraint. To celebrate, we went inside the store and loaded up on snacks for the next day’s lunch.
Indeed, gasoline prices these past few years seem reasonable, and indications are that sub-$3 a gallon gas should continue for the foreseeable future. But finding the lowest price for gas isn’t as much of a motivator for drivers to visit a particular gas station as it was five years ago, according to the 2020 NACS Consumer Fuels Survey. Instead, more consumers than ever say the in-store offer determines where they’ll stop.
The survey is chockful of data on how consumers are shopping your stores, what’s driving their behavior and how to apply the insights to your business. We feature the findings in our cover story this month.
More people will go out of their way to shop a store they like than a store with low gas prices.
More people will go out of their way to shop a store they like (72%) than a store with low gas prices (63%), the survey found. Nearly two in three drivers (62%) say they prefer a certain c-store or chain, which is double the amount from eight years ago.
For years, the evening rush was the most popular time to fill up, but midday overtook it in last year’s survey and remains the busiest time to refuel in the 2020 survey. Why the switch? In a word—food. For the first time in the survey, most drivers who buy gas say they also are going back inside the store.
Customers increasingly say they buy a sandwich or other meal, visit the restroom and use the ATM. And get this—fewer customers are eating in their cars. More are eating their food once they arrive at their destination—or at a table in the store. If you’re a retailer with an established foodservice operation—or trying to get one off the ground—that should put a smile on your face.
Eager for more data to benchmark your business? Make sure you’ve registered for the NACS State of the Industry Summit, taking place April 7 to 9 in Chicago. Get a first look at the latest consumer, financial and operational data months before this year’s SOI Report is released.
Back to my evening fill-up. To get to my go-to gas station, I drive past fuel pumps at a big-box retailer (rhymes with Rosco), where the price per gallon is cheaper, but the lines are long, and there’s no adjacent c-store for food. Yes, I know I could find a spot in the sprawling lot, park and wade through the crowds pushing massive shopping carts to fight my way to the very back of the warehouse for bread and milk. But seriously, who has the time? I can get in and out of a c-store in about five minutes—now that’s convenient.
